French court clears way for Marine Le Pen presidential run

French hard-right leader Marine Le Pen could now run for president next year after a court in Paris upheld her embezzlement conviction, but reduced the length of her ban on running for public office. Also: Ukraine's president has used a speech at the Nato summit in Turkey to urge allies to deliver the air defence systems Kyiv urgently needs. In Syria, explosions have been heard in central Damascus, reportedly near the hotel where French President Emmanuel Macron had been staying. The woman suspected of carrying out a parcel bombing in Monaco which injured a sanctioned Ukrainian multi-millionaire and his family has been found dead. In Britain, the leader of right-wing party Reform UK, Nigel Farage, says he will resign as an MP, triggering a by-election which he says he will stand in. New research from Italy suggests women hit a fertility tipping point at 49, even if using younger donor eggs during the process of IVF.

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Photo: French hard-right leader Marine Le Pen leaves a Paris court after her appeals trial.
Credit: Reuters